Device for carrying children



w. A. HANCOCK ETAL 2,411,721

DEVICE-FOR CARRYING CHILDREN Filed Nov. 20, 1944 Patented Nov. 26, 1946 DEVICE FOR CARRYING CHILDREN William Arthur Hancock and Brenda Anderson Hancock, Maroubra, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Application November 20, 1944, Serial No. 564,370 In Australia October 29, 1943 8 Claims.

This invention relates to means for carrying small children say between the ages of six months to two years With the prevailing difficulties due to curtailment of transport, also the necessity for people particularly women to go out for essential food purchases and the like which hitherto were delivered, it has been a tiresome operation for women with young children to cope with the carrying of parcels while holding a baby and the present invention has been specially devised to meet the urgent need of effectively carrying a child in a comfortable and natural sitting position without imposing undue strain on th person and whereby safe control of such child is had while leaving the arms free. By the use of the present invention the weight of the child is distributed about those body parts best suited for the purpose and the limbs are not cramped or restricted in away to cause discomfort. The device is easily and cheaply manufactured and can be folded away into small compass when not required for use.

According to this invention the device for carrying a child consists of a supporting sling of flexible form adapted to take diagonally across v the body of a wearer from over one shoulder to the opposite side, and preferably having length adjustment; the sling is affixed at its ends to two flaps connected each to an end of a seat base of flexible material having provision to retain its shape and being padded and having an edge formation adapted 'to bear against the said body at or below the top of hip bone in a comfortable manner. The flaps are provided with a back supporting member adapted to extend around the body of a child to support it in a natural sitting position, and one of the flaps is twisted between the seat base and back supporting memher so as to provide a direct supporting line from the outermost edge of the sling contacting the shoulder of the wearer to the remote edge of the seat base. to hold the child, in the front of the wearer to one side with the child's legs positioned at the front of said wearer and enabling th wearers arm at that side to be crooked or curved around said child when required but allowing free movement to both arms.

In order to describe the invention more fully reference will now be made to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this complete specification and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the device for carrying a child taken from the inside, while The result of this arrangement is Figure 2 is another perspective of the device taken from the outside.

Figure 3 is a perspective showing the device in use and indicating the freedom allowed the arm on that side.

Figure 4 is another perspective of the lower portion of the seat, while Figure 5 is a cross section of the seat proper.

The device for carrying a child consists of a sling 6 of suitable cloth material appropriately strengthened where required and of a width to take across an appreciable area of the shoulder Figures 4 and 5 is contoured at the corner as indicated at the edge 13 approximately complementary to the body of a wearer say at one side of the front below the hip bone and contains a shaped seat retaining plate [4 say of plywood or other suitable material with its edge contoured at L5 to conform to the shaping of the seat base II and adapted to retain such base in shape while padding or a removable cushion i6 is positioned over such plate [4 and there is a rear flap I I through which the parts may be removed and replaced and it is closed by press studs or any other suitable means.

In some cases the flap I! may tuck in and have no fastening devices.

A pocket (not shown) may be provided under the seat base II or at the side or other point to carry a napkin or other article.

In use to fit the device the sling 6 is fitted over the right shoulder with the head and left arm insertedthrough said sling 6 which continues down the back well under the left shoulder blade with the twisted flap in around the left hip from the back. The sling 6 is adjusted by the buckles and fastener 1 until the seat base II lies flat just below the top of hip bone in a comfortable manner. and square on the seat base H close in to the wearers body with the back support I2 taking firmly around the child's back and the legs are to the front. The twist in the flap l0 provides a direct supporting line from the outermost edge The child is placed well back i of the sling 6 contacting the shoulder or the wearer's body.

If the child is asleep or is a baby the device may be adjusted to tilt the seat and allow the babys head to rest on crook of the left arm.

As the child sits on a cushion supported by a solid base rendered possible by the plate I! there is no possibility of chafing or any restriction of the circulation or any of the other discomiorts usually incurred when being carried around in the arms or merely supported by an ordinary flexible sling device.

In bad weather a shawl or the like can be wrapped around the seat portion or the device worn under a loose top coat.

The seat base interior can be removed for airing and the cloth portion of the device can be washed or boiled.

Although the device has been described as applied to one side it may be made in both left and right hand types to suit different requirements.

We claim:

1. An improved device for carrying a child, comprising a seat base, sling means providing I legs of substantial width connecting the ends of the seat base and adapted to extend diagonally across the body of a wearer from over one shoulder to the opposite side of the body, and a back supporting member connected across the legs of said sling means, the legnormally extending across the back of the wearer being twisted through a half turn adjacent its point of juncture with said seat base to provide a direct supporting line from the outermost edge of the sling means contacting the shoulder of the wearer to the remote edge of the seat base.

2. An improved device for carrying a child,

. comprising a seat base, sling means consisting of a flap connected to each end of said seat base and a sling of flexible material connected to each flap and adapted to extend diagonally across the body of a wearer from over one shoulder to the opposite side of the body, and a back supporting member connected at each end to one of 'said 4. An improved device for carrying a child comprising, a seat base having a pocket formed therein, a rigid plate adapted to be fitted in said pocket to maintain said seat base extended while carrying the weight of a child, said plate being shaped at one corner substantially complementary to the body portion 01 a wearer against which it bears, sling means consisting of a flap connected to each end of said seat base and a sling of flexible material connected to each flap and adapted to extend diagonally across the body of a wearer from over one shoulder to the opposite side of the body, and a back supporting member connected at eachend to one of said flaps and spaced from said seat base, the flap which is at the end of said seat base accommodating the shaped corner of said plate being twisted between said seat base and back supporting member to provide a direct supporting line from the outermost edge of the sling contacting the shoulder of the wearer to the remote edge of the seat base.

5. A device for carrying a child, comprising: a seat base having a bearing end and an extended end; a wall panel foldably attached to the extended end of said seat base; a shoulder strap secured by its ends to said wall panel and 'to said bearing end of the seat base, said shoulder strap having a half twist-adjacent said bearing end, whereby said seat base may rest by its bearing end against the hip of the wearer with said wall panel located forwardly therefrom, and said strap may follow the-body contour aroundthe hip, then diagonally upwardly over the opposite shoulder and then diagonally downwardly and forwardly to said wall panel; and a back strap extending between said wall panel and said shoulder strap and being connected with said strap at a point above its twisted portion.

6. A device for carrying a child, comprising: a seat base; shoulder sling means for said seat base including one end portion providing an upright end wall at one extremity of said seat base, the

' other end portion of said sling means having a half twist and being attached to the opposite extremity of said seat base; and aback strap exflaps and spaced from said seat base, one of said flaps being twisted through a half turn between said seat base and back supporting member to provide a direct supporting line from the outermost edge of the sling contacting the shoulder of the wearer to the remote edge of the seat base. 3. An improved device for carrying a child comtending from said end wall of said sling means and being connected with said other end Portion of said sling means in a regionabove said twisted portion. v v

7. A device for carrying a child, comprising: a

Y rigid seat base; a flexible end wall attached. to

' one end thereof; a shoulder strap. incorporating i said end wall and joined to the opposite end of prising a seat base having a pocket formed therein, a rigid plate adapted to be fitted in said pocket to maintain said seat base extended while carrying the weight of a child, sling means consisting of a flap connected to each end of said seat base and a sling of flexible material connected to each flap and adapted to extend diagonally across the body of a wearer from over one shoulder to the opposite side of the body, and a back supporting member connected at each end to one of said flaps and spaced from said seat base, one of said flaps being twisted between said seat base and back supporting member to provide a direct supporting line from the outermost edge of the sling contacting the shoulder of the wearer to the remote edge of the seat base.

said seat base, the strap being twisted a half turn at said opposite end; and a 'back'strap extending from. said end wall andjoined to said 7 shoulder strap above its twisted end.

8. A-device for carrying achild, comprising; a rigid seat base having arearwardend adapted to bepositioned adjacent ahip of the wearer and a forward extended end; flapmembers attached to the rearward end and extended end of said seat base, the rearward -flap being twisted a half turn; a back member connecting said flaps and holding said rearward flap in its twistedposition;

and a shoulder strap disposed between said flaps adapted to extend diagonally across the wearer over the shoulder opposite from said hip.

WILLIAM ARTHUR HANCOCK; i v

BRENDA ANDERSON HANCOCK. 

